BabesOfHollywood.com a celebrity web site focusing on beautiful female celebrities, today announced that Jessica Simpson has been named its 2006 Babe of the Year. The award, handed out annually by the web site, is designed to acknowledge the female celebrity who looked the hottest while still being newsworthy during the year. Simpson beat out fellow blondes Paris Hilton and Britney Spears as well as Lindsay Lohan. She also finished ahead of 2005 Babe of The Year, Angelina Jolie, who came in a close second thanks to her role in the celebrity international baby adoption trend.

For Simpson, this award comes at the end of a banner year where the singer and sometimes actress was forced to face her popularity alone for the first time post her divorce from boy band singer/sports fan Nick Lachey. Simpson created a consistent buzz on search engines, web sites and celebrity blogs throughout the year.

From an artistic standpoint, Simpson was at a creative low. Following her 2005 role as Daisy Duke in the film version of The Dukes of Hazard, Simpson took on her first leading lady role in the low-brow comedy Employee of the Month. At the time of its release in June, Simpson was rumored to be dating her Employee of the Month co-star, comedian Dane Cook who was also her co-host at the Teen Choice Awards. All of this while finishing up her divorce from Lachey. In August, the singer returned to focus on music with the release of her fourth album A Public Affair. Despite a star studded video for its title-track first single, which featured friends Eva Longoria, Christina Applegate, Christina Milian and Maria Menounous, the album has sold less than half that of her top selling album Irresistible. On the business side, Simpson continued to leverage her dumb-blonde brand following the huge success of her TV show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. Her most recent endeavor features a line of clip-in hair extensions with her hair stylist and close confidant Ken Paves, which continues to keep her active and in the limelight.